Hours before the attack Lupton had sent a light hearted text message to her husband 'Hope all is well. Mum is a nightmare!! Lol xxx" during a family visit - then later told him how Mrs Hothersall had "been stubborn and hard work."

But the following morning Mrs Hothersall was found badly injured on the floor of her home in Cottam near Preston, Lancs, by a support worker.

She was suffering from two black eyes, a fractured hip, a large lump on her head, and swollen hands which had turned black from bruises.

The injuries were consistent with "forceful slapping, punching, kicking or stamping."

Mrs Hothersall told her how daughter had attacked her and when asked why replied: "Because she doesn't love me, because I've been bad."

The old lady was taken to hospital where she had an operation to pin her hip, but she never regained her ability to walk and was transferred to a nursing home where she was said to have "lost the will to live."

The old lady was readmitted to hospital where she died later from bronchopneumonia - two months after the assault took place.

Tests showed the illness developed directly as a result of the injuries she sustained during the assault.

Lupton, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs was said to be a "chronic alcoholic." who drank a bottle of wine or half a bottle of spirits every day for almost 12 years.

Two notebooks found at her home featured entries reading: "I am so alone and so mad with my mum. I hate what she has become. My poor mum lying there on the foor -it is heartbreaking."

At Liverpool Crown Court she admitted manslaughter but was jailed for just 16 months after her family said they had forgiven her and said Mrs Hothersall's death was a "blessing."

Her not guilty plea to murder was accepted. She is likely to serve just two months, after time spent on remand is deducted.

In a statement Mrs Hothersall's 85-year-old husband Bernard said: ""I really miss Marie very much, however I can see it as a blessing as she had been struggling and unhappy with dementia for a long time.

"Now I know that Marie is at peace."

He added: "Despite what happened, I still love Ann very much.

"I know that Ann had been so kind and helpful to Marie and me over the years, always showing us so much love and care.

"I know that Ann has always loved Marie and that she always will. This is a very sad and confusing time and I know I love Ann. I miss her and I want her to come home."

Earlier Paul Reid QC prosecuting, said Lupton, would become "agitated and aggressive" when under the influence of alcohol.

He added: "It may well be that her violent behaviour towards her mother was affected by drink she had consumed that night.

"During the course of that evening a neighbour in the adjoining semidetached property heard noises from Mrs Hothersall's address.

"The noises consisted of thumping, banging, shouting and screaming."

The noises started around 6pm on July 24 last year and 20 minutes later Lupton sent a text message to her husband saying: "Hope all is well. Mum is a nightmare!! Lol xxx"

When her husband phoned her at around 8pm, Lupton told him Mrs Hothersall was "being stubborn and hard work."

Mr Reid said: "At about 10pm their neighbour heard thumping and banging which sounded as though someone was being knocked against the wall.

"There was also screaming but he could not hear what was being said. He assumed it was grandchildren messing about.

"At about 1.10am he heard loud banging, thumping and shouting coming from Mrs Hothersall's bedroom. He described it as 'so loud it sounded like it was coming through the walls.'"

After treatment at Royal Preston Hospital Mrs Hothersall was discharged to a nursing home on September 13.

She was readmitted to hospital on September 15 and died four days later.

According to a pathologist, Mrs Hothersall's bronchopneumonia developed "directly as a result of the injuries she sustained during the assault."

When she was traced Lupton told police that her mother had injured herself falling out of bed. She was initially charged with attempted murder.

The judge Mr Justice Alistair Macduff told Lupton: "Forgiveness and compassion are wonderful human qualities. I am able to show you the mercy, some may say leniency, which I believe you deserve.

"Over the years you had a good and loving relationship with your mother. Unhappily, as you well know, there were two very sad features of your relationship in recent times.

"You had sunk into deep alcoholism and your mother, by now aged 83 years, developed severe dementia.

"This made her difficult and unreasonable.

"Your drink and her dementia coincided with tragic consequences. What is clear is that you inflicted a dreadful beating on your mother, as combination of two things - your alcoholic state and your mother's behaviour which frustrated and provoked you into anger.

"Like your wider family, I have a great deal of sympathy for you. You will suffer a life sentence whatever I do today.

"I know that you will have to live with your dreadful actions for the rest of your life. To that extent, you are already being punished."

Det Insp Kevin McLean, of Preston CID, said after the case: "This was an absolutely tragic case for all concerned which has left a family completely devastated.

"My thoughts are very much with Marie's family at this difficult time. I appreciate they will never be able to get over her death, but I can only hope that they can now begin to move forward with their lives."